


terminal

by strayphoenix



Series: How Far We've Come [2]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, bros, five year time skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-25
Updated: 2012-05-25
Packaged: 2018-09-17 02:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9299837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strayphoenix/pseuds/strayphoenix
Summary: Roy wonders exactly how many planes it takes before soaring through clouds stops being a wonder and starts being a chore.





	

Airports are omnipresent. They never sleep, never rest, always run run run and fly fly fly. Roy wonders exactly how many planes it takes before soaring through clouds stops being a wonder and starts being a chore.

Through the din of Chinese barking around him and the masses of faces, he spots his gate, his flight home. Another month of chasing geese and breaking ribs to no fruition. He’s out of ammo, short on cash, and mad, bone sore, head numb, and in need of a drink before he becomes underage again.

But ‘regrouping’ is not giving up. ‘Weary’ is not defeated.

Something catches his eye in the crowd. Roy bristles for a second before his aching muscles can no longer hold the tension.

And ‘help’, he has to remind himself, is not a disloyalty.

The dark skinned figure casually reading a paperback in the waiting area stands out like a sore thumb. Roy’s pace doesn’t change, nor does his face, and his slumps down in the seat behind, facing away.

“How’d you find me?”

A page turns. “Your clearing of your browser history was not up to par with the Boy Wonder’s hacking standards.”

“I don’t need babysitting, Kal,” he snaps. “I’m fine.”

“I never implied that you weren’t, my friend. In fact I applaud you. You are handling your circumstances exceptionally well. Far better than I would have in your shoes.”

The comment is so ridiculous he almost laughs outright. “You would be taking this like a champ.” He sighs, admitting in a low voice, “I’m coming apart at the seams.”

“Not from where I’m sitting.”

Silence reprieves them. The Atlantean continues reading, some airport standard mystery. They have another three hours before their flight. Roy realizes he’s going to have to ask the obvious questions.

“What are you doing here, Kal?”

“The last time you went up against the League of Shadows, you were, quite possibly, in over your head.” He can hear the light tease in Kaldur’s voice. “I did not wish to be half a world away should the situation repeat itself.”

“Keep your enemies close and your backup within shooting distance,” Roy recites.

“Something to that effect, yes.”

He fiddles with a strap on his four week ‘overnight’ bag. He’s touched, honestly, that Kaldur flew across the world to be on hand in the rare case that he would have needed backup, so Roy struggles with how to say what he wants to say next. As he oftentimes has the tendency to do, Kaldur says it for him.

“Roy, the Justice League did not send me. Neither Batman nor Green Arrow know where either of us are. Only Robin knows which country we are in.”

His fatigue lets his thoughts slip away from him, into the open air. “Ollie thinks I’m nuts. Batman too. They think I’m chasing ghosts.”

Kaldur pauses, pensive. “You are asking me my opinion?”

Roy realizes belatedly that he is. “Yeah.”

Kaldur is quiet for a long time and airport bustles around them.

“I think you are chasing hope, my friend,” he says finally. “Hope that you can prove yourself better than the science that made you or the evil that forced you against the people you cared about most. That is what I think you are doing, and I respect it.”

“What if I told you I just wanted to bash some heads in? Empty my quiver on the sons of bitches who played me like a fucking violin and then dumped me when they were through?”

The voice that comes from behind him is firm, unwavering. “I would tell you then that revenge is a very long and lonely road from which there is no turning back. I would tell you that this would be exactly what the League of Shadows would want, would expect from you. I would tell you that in that endeavor, I cannot help you.”

Kaldur’s right. He knows Kaldur’s right. But…

“But if I’m not avenging Speedy…if I’m not finding him…being a hero…” Roy trails off, defeated, then, angrily, “If I’m not being Red Arrow, and if I’m not really Roy Harper, then who the hell else am I supposed to be?”

The Atlantean settles back further into his plastic seat and Roy’s absolutely positive he’s never heard a smile so big or so obvious in Kaldur’s voice.

“Welcome to the club, my friend.”

They decide to take advantage of the national drinking age after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Barru and Brella for confirming that this could stand on its own. It’s been SO long since I’ve written anything without a crazy epic plot.
> 
> I'm adding all my old YJ fics to AO3 from FF and Tumblr just so I can keep track of all of them. I don't use this particular writing style much any more, but I'd appreciate any and all kudos and comments regardless.


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